SpaceX Falcon 1 Launch

Nearly one year has passed since SpaceX maiden launch of their Falcon 1. Now it’s time for the next try.

Space Exploration Technologies will try to launch its Falcon 1 rocket between March 19 and 22. The launcher will carry DemoSat-2, a dummy payload to evaluate the vehicle’s performance. A static fire test on Friday was successful and cleared the path to the launch attempt in the coming days.

After the launch failure in March 2006, SpaceX spent nearly one year with redesigning and increasing robustness of their Falcon 1. Not only the rocket itself got modified but also ground procedures changed.

The Falcon 1 rocket stands 21.3 meters tall and weighs about 27 tons. It is powered by a single Merlin 1A engine in the first stage and a single Kestrel engine in the upper stage.